Beyond Boston to Cape Cod
with Kathy Arnold
Boston is a wonderful city but its also the gateway to the rest of Massachusetts which has so much more to offer. As well as glorious countryside there’s also a fantastic coastline and plenty of historic sites to explore…
Heading south from Boston my first stop was Plymouth less than an hour away by road. Famous of course as the final port of call for the Mayflower and the Pilgrim Fathers, here you can witness history bought to life
This is Plimoth Plantation which tells the story of the Pilgrim fathers and the families who came across on the Mayflower to settle in a New World. What I like is the fact that it doesn’t look easy, life was tough and yet they preserved and survived and that to me is what’s so impressive
As you wander around the site you’ll learn about both the colonists and the native Americans and hear their stories by chatting to the interpreters who are living life as it was in 1627….
Kathy Did you come over on the Mayflower
Lady: I did. I arrived on the very first ship. Oh it were a wretched journey. I don’t think any man can say a crossing on that great ocean sea is ever pleasurable, yeah?
Heading further south from Plymouth, crossing the Sagamore Bridge you arrive in Cape Cod.
This is Sandwich which I always think of as the gateway to Cape Cod. Now the Cape stretches for about 75 miles but the towns along it each have their own individual character. Sandwich here has got the church, these houses which are clapboard but here its always pronounced clabbord and its this sort of thing which gives the Cape so much character. You’ll see familiar names of towns, not just Sandwich but Falmouth, Barnstaple, Truro, Chatham – names that sound familiar to Brits but are totally different and typically Cape Cod
When I come to the Cape I like to stay in a bed and breakfast, these are old houses which have been transformed into small inns – this one for example was once a church. But there are other places to stay too – you can stay in a beach resort with tennis and golf or you can rent a house and make yourself at home on the Cape
Don’t be surprised if you see familiar faces here - Cape Cod, and especially the exclusive island retreats of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, are renowned for their celebrity visitors.
The most famous name of all is President John F Kennedy. Here at the museum dedicated to him you learn all about why he loved holidaying on Cape Cod. The sailing, the beach life, getting away from it all - which actually is what brings the rest of us here as well.
And JFK left his legacy here in the shape of the Cape Cod National Seashore, a protected coastline of some 40,000 acres. Local expert and guide, Arthur Ratsy gave me the geography lesson…
The Atlantic Ocean is out here, we are facing East. This entire area from Chatham to the very tip which is Provincetown is the Cape Cod national seashore. You continue on up, under the arm, you’ll be in Hyannis, Yarmouth, Falmouth. On top you’ll be in Sandwich, Brewster, places like that. But this is how we describe Cape Cod as an arm out into the sea.
If we were to take a walk along the beach – how far could we go?
Well if you wanted to start in Chatham you could go some 50 miles and you’ll still be on the beach. Don’t wait for me cos I’ll drive down there. Ha ha
The beaches of course are wonderful in summer but at any time of year, you’ll find plenty of people out and about, enjoying the walks and that bracing sea air.
But its not just about sea and sand, there are lots of other distractions here too – there are wonderful cycling routes, bird watching, nature trails and fascinating nautical history.
Then of course there are the fruits of the sea. At East Dennis Oyster flats, cultivator John Lowell took me out at low tide to see how his special crop were doing…
How long does it take an oyster to grow?
Takes approximately 3 years to grow from seed in this location.
And can you taste the difference?
You certainly can, and we are not necessarily better or worse than our neighbours but we certainly are different. Just like the pinot noir grape, is still a pinot noir grape but they have very different characteristics depending on the soil where they are grown and oysters are the same way
And what is characteristic of your oysters?
Well it’s a nice briny clean flavour, very fresh with a fantastic finish.
Tasting – mmm delicious
Still on the food theme Cranberry Juice is the Massachusetts state drink – and you’ll see cranberry bogs all over the state. Grower Jeff La Fleur talked me through the autumn harvesting process
We flood the bog we come in with a machine called a water reel which knocks the fruit off the vine, allowing the fruit to float to the surface which creates the beautiful colour contrast of the red fruit floating on the blue water, a picture perfect cape Cod postcard.
And how many pounds of cranberries would there be in a bog of this size
Well we are looking to pick at least a 150 barrels per acre and a barrel weighs 100 lbs. We have about 3.5 acres here so we are looking at a decent crop
My final stop at the tip of Cape Cod was Provincetown. By road from Boston its 115 miles and the straight drive would take around 3 hours. For a quick trip to the Cape, in summer you can come over on the ferry and that only takes an hour and half.
Provincetown is a community of artists, there are lots of art galleries, it’s a thriving gay and lesbian community, there are lots of shops, little bed and breakfasts and wherever you are you can’t miss this. This is the Pilgrim Monument and it recalls the Pilgrim fathers who landed right here in Provincetown Harbour in 1620 after 2 months on the north Atlantic
There’s lots more to do here and there’s lots more to do in the rest of Massachusetts as well. Whether you want culture, whether you want sports… which is why, when people ask me how long do I need in Massachusetts, my answer is how long have you got?
